Among Facebook’s many new features is one that allows journalists and others with verified profiles to broadcast posts to their followers, rather than their friends.
Given Twitter’s popularity as a source for news, it’s a move that is designed to increase the likelihood of journalists and other prominent figures posting news-related content or articles on Facebook without having to fill up the feeds of their family and friends.
As we explore in our new GWI Social report, look at the top motivations that people have for using social networks and it’s not hard to see why Facebook wants to encourage this. Overall, networks are still about keeping in touch with friends or killing time, but it’s more than a third of internet users who now turn to social networks in order to keep up-to-date with current events. What’s more, this is a motivation felt equally strongly among 16-54s, showing the breadth of the audience that journalists might be able to reach.
For more of the latest social media trends, you can download a free summary of our GWI Social report here. Alternatively, clients can access the full version here.
